This project aims at promoting women's participation in the formulation, discussion and management of projects regarding urban agriculture and composting. This programme is conducted in cooperation with FUNDAC, the association of community kindergartens.
Although communities do have an increasing role in public
management of the environment, enormous problems remain especially
since local, regional or district authorities keep on implementing
conventional policies that ignore the current evolutions. Even when
community groups are given an opportunity to express their point of
view, they are prevented from effectively participating in the
management of local development.In addition, the current opinion of
the Colombian administration is that the public sphere of action
tends to come down to keeping streets clean, decorating
faÁades and evicting vendors from the informal sector without
offering them any alternative. In fact, it seems that the new
administration's priorities are essentially placed on building new
parks and turning the residential neighbourhoods into copies of the
Parisian "Champs-ElysÈes". Thus, a number of Colombian civil
servants went to Lima on a study tour in order to measure the changes
carried out in the city by the current Peruvian President Alberto
Fujimori.
In this new context (the paramount example of which is the city of
Bogota), community organisations see their initiatives severely
restricted and find themselves de facto in competition with one
another, fighting for their survival at the risk of imperilling their
autonomy.
In accordance with its goals, the project has involved technical training, supportive activities and keeping vegetable gardens (15 in total: 11 in 1997 + 4 created in 1998). Topics for technical workshops addressed preferences expressed by the community and met the needs identified during the promotional stage. Some of these topics related to "Vegetable gardens and medicinal plants" or "Domestic insecticides in vegetable gardens". Besides, other technical training activities developed in collaboration with the composting units. It should be noted that gardeners take part in the activities carried out in both the vegetable gardens and the composting units. It sometimes happens that fathers, mothers, and even the whole community group work on a voluntary basis. However, remunerated manpower is called on whenever heavy or very specific work (like plumbing or joinery) is required.
On 18 and 19 July 1998, a seminar called "Women and Seeds" took place. It grouped women's organisations that working on urban agriculture experiments in 12 (out of 20) localities of Santa Fe City, in Bogota. The seminar gave rise to exchanges relating essentially to alternative medicine, the elaboration of natural products as well as the culinary preparation of particular food products.At the same time, ENDA-Latin America established contacts with ARABELLA, a popular organisation gathering women who work in the field of urban agriculture. ARABELLA is conducting a revenue-generating programme via the sale of natural products. The latter, grown by the women themselves, are sold for therapeutic as well as food purposes.Moreover, the ENDA-Latin America team joined the "Environment and Peace" Congress initiated by the Ministry of Environment and the Permanent Assembly of Civil Society for Peace. During this Congress, it was decided that a movement called "Environmentalists for Peace" would be created.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that Pilar TRUJILLO URIBE, the PRECEUP programme coordinator for Latin America, was elected counsellor for the Regional Unit of the Eco-fund (Ecofondo), a unit that gathers 34 organisations. Its contribution to this framework made it possible for ENDA to take an active part in different operations and research projects on the development of Bogota.Finally and more generally speaking, parents and other local actors have become involved in the vegetable gardens process. Furthermore, women have managed to give their work an environmental dimension in the gardens as well as in their neighbourhood. What is at stake at present for them is the recognition of their economic and financial role by the state insofar as they provide social services for the community. In addition, although they do not have a university degree, they have followed, then set up, intensive training courses in their field of action. Introducing educational methods in gardens has facilitated cooperation from parents and encouraged a more dynamic attitude from young people and grandparents.
In Colombia, the PRECEUP programme has had a strong impact on popular women's organisations, not only in the capital city but also in other cities like Pereira or Medellin. Therefore, it now seems essential to draft proposals in order to influence public policies, especially regarding children support. Regarding this particular matter, setting up a Popular Women's Organisations Meeting at the district level (gathering around a hundred women from popular backgrounds) has been defined as a top priority.
This project supports basic groups in setting up community-based systems of environmental management. The most recent activities have been aiming at improving (i) solid waste collection services, especially via temporary dump sites and (ii) active involvement of municipal authorities.
- diffusing proposals on integral management of solid waste;
- defining the internal organisation, the functions and roles of the actors, defining administrative processes likely to perpetuate the Solid Waste Integral Management System (Sistema de Manejo Integral de Residuos Solidos - SMIRS);
- obtaining the sale by auction of land for the purpose of opening a temporary dump site;
- implementing solid waste collection and sorting services aimed at about 350 families;
- carrying out an environmental assessment in a school centre;
- conducting some research on socio-economic circuits of recycling in the city of Santo-Domingo;
- strengthening the relationships and exchanges with national institutions and other Caribbean institutions.
ENDA-Caribbean has organised training sessions for the various community leaders and information campaigns directed to 1600 families (representing approximately 80% of the population in the working area).Another achievement was the attribution by the Santo-Domingo Aqueduct and Sewer Corporation, upon the intervention of the National District Municipality (Ayutamiento del Districto Nacional - ADN), of a 205m2 piece of land located on the site of a wastewater treatment plant. As soon as it gets legal authorisation, ENDA-Caribbean shall start developing this area.Besides, particular attention has been granted to training activities and coordination between community groups. Training courses have thus been set up in partnership with fellow NGOs. Specific sensitisation sessions on gender issues are also being carried out during "coffee afternoons": women are encouraged to involve in different activities within the project.Similarly, a "Community carnival" was organised. PRECEUP took part in the carnival with its creation "Bin Monster", which won the first prize.
A workshop-seminar called "Alternatives for solid waste management in the city of Santo-Domingo" took place on 19 and 20 March 1998. Representatives of community organisations, municipal authorities and a few candidates for the National District union and the Municipal Councils were present. The ideas and opinions expressed during this seminar shall be published and presented to the new municipal authorities (elected last may).Furthermore, some members of the Urban Technical Team are currently working on an environmental study, namely a study of Environmental Sanitation in Moreno Jimenez Primary School. 32 children chosen by their own schoolmates followed an environmental training and carried out an assessment of their own school environment, from which they drew their own conclusions. These conclusions have been presented to the teaching staff and the parents; they are now going through a second reading before being published.Another research is being carried out regarding Socio-economic Circuits of Recycling in the City of Santo-Domingo.
Due to the length of the auction legal process, the construction of the temporary dump site has been delayed. Furthermore, the lack of financial resources is prejudicial both to the institutional reinforcement of community groups in the area and to the resolution of priority problems put forward by community leaders and populations. It is also unfortunate that exchanges with ENDA-Latin America should remain so limited.
In this context, the main stakes for the forthcoming months shall come down to the following points:
- in response to the reduction of resources, action shall focus on the main goals of the programme;
- in response to the work carried out by ENDA, municipal authorities' awareness as to their responsibilities should be improved;
- as soon as legal authorisation is delivered, the Solid Waste Management System shall be installed;
- research on the Recycling Circuits in the city of Santo-Domingo shall be taken to a conclusion;
- try and get an approval for the new applications for co-financing so as to address adequately the specific problems of the area.
The main goal of this project is to promote the improvement of health conditions in eight areas of Thies, to experiment and popularise composting techniques for the organic fraction of waste.
Launched in Thies in 1995, the PRECEUP programme covers 29 neighbourhoods and 4000 plots, representing approximately 32000 inhabitants. The programme aims at reducing the existing disparities in the management of habitat: some areas remain inaccessible because of the narrowness of the streets, whereas others are properly linked to a road network.
ENDA-GRAF supplied popular organisations with 29 oxen teams for the collection and transport of domestic waste. Two young people are in charge of one team. They are recruited among the population and remunerated via contributions from households registered at the waste>management committee.
Out of 29 neighbourhoods covered by the waste collection programme, 2 also promote waste reuse and market-gardening actions. The two community groups occupy two pieces land representing an overall surface of 3 hectares. It can also be noted that the 52 persons in these groups have have followed a training course on aerobic composting. They are able to treat daily 10 cartloads or 5 tons of waste. The 29 teams complete 174 rides (at the rate of 6 rotations per day) representing a daily disposal of 87 tons of waste.
In the area of Ouakam, a peripheral neighbourhood of Dakar, the programme has supported a group of market-gardeners in setting up a treatment system for wastewater coming from a sanitary sewer network.
ENDA-Graf has also taken action in the area of Mbeubeuss which shelters Dakar's public dump site. It is a reputed spot for scavengers, recylers and tradesmen. The PRECEUP programme contributes to the organisation of a framework for 450 recyclers and sets up popular structures: pooling of economic resources (Groupement d'IntÈrÍt Economique - GIE), savings and credits banks, mutual insurance societies.
The effective training of farmers was substantially delayed. It was initially supposed to start in December 1997 but the operation was postponed several times for lack of financial resources. The collaborative work with the group of the Silmang area started last march. With the group of the Gaye Mekhe area in the district of Tivaouane (40km away from Thies), it started in May.
Young people grouping in Silmang
The operational land extends over one hectare. Its occupation required substantial human and financial investment. It took the 12 members of the group a whole month to clear the shrubs and plant a quickset hedge so as to protect the surface from wind erosion. Then a tractor had to be used to plough the land that was rocky in places. After the well was deepened and 3 basins were installes, the market-gardening could start.
The fact that market-gardening is less constraining and more lucrative than composting has led the group to carry out that part of the programme first. Furthermore, 2 months after the activity had begun, proceeds were substantial enough to secure the upkeep of the animals used for hauling water.
ENDA-Graf encourages mutual training between the Thies and Dakar groups for plastic recycling. About thirty young girls coming from a peripheral area of Dakar called Sam-Sam, used the Thies experience and undertook to devote themselves to the plastic recycling technology. ENDA-Graf responded by sending a female supervisor and providing some small equipment (needles, scissors).
As far as the treatment of waste is concerned, a few observations can be made.
Since 1997, after having compared the water requirements for composting activities with the actual water capacities on the land, farmers tend to turn to alternative solutions. One must admit after a two year experience that composting is not a profitable activity.
Besides, the operational land is often located at a distance from the market-gardening areas, which makes it difficult for compost to be used.
As an attempt to make up for that problem, young people and farmers dump the waste directly on the soil, without any sorting. This method is less constraining than composting and seems to suit those faced with water problems better.
Individuals can spend more time on market-gardening activities, which represent a more lucrative source of income.
Another possible alternative and a more lucrative one for the farmers consists in coupling market-gardening with cattle breeding. Composting is made easier as animal wet waste is used for swath-making. Fresh waste humidifies the swath and provides the soil with the nutritive elements it so badly needs.
This project supports several Moroccan associations in the field of urban environment via the REFA assessment-training-action network (RÈseau Evaluation-Formation-Action). It aims at a community-based management of urban waste in Morocco.
PRECEUP projects have progressed and the following elements have appeared conspicuous:
- In the shanty town of Karyan El Oued, in the city of Sale, field animations and technical achievements as regards liquid and solid sanitation have caused the institutional and community context to evolve in favour of a reorganisation project. This is an important result considering the initial problems essentially linked to the Sale El Jadida project (the New Sale). This governmental project aiming at building 20 000 lodgings made it impossible to establish a dialogue with the local population (threatened of being driven off the area) on a subject other than housing (community sanitation). This tendency was reinforced by the presence of socio-economic activities in the area. However, beyond the technical achievements (oued wastewater piping, construction of collection tubs for voluntary dumps), it has allowed the creation of an association for the development of the area and a shift in the authorities' attitude regarding driving off people. The community group has applied to the authorities in charge of housing and town planning, and have called into question the development scheme providing for equipment on the present shanty town site.This attempt at a collaborative approach in favour of a rehousing-on-the-spot project could be considered as the most important strategic achievement among the dynamics initiated within PRECEUP.
- In Beni Mellal, after an analysis of the constraints it was faced with, the project has taught useful lessons which can throw an appropriate light on the strategic urban intervention of ENDA Maghreb in Morocco. Subsequently, on the basis of a set of hypothesis, reports and operational goals for PRECEUP in Morocco, the project team suggests that the funds are redirected towards a similar project in the area of Sale Bab Lamrisa.
- Finally, concerning the Ahfour El Maati area in the town of Khemisset, noteworthy achievements relate to environmental education and to the demonstrative value of an experimental "hippomobile" collection system. It should also be noted that the present inertia is partly due to the fact that a tripartite convention is being discussed between the local association TWIZA Movement, the Municipality and ENDA Maghreb. This negotiation should have a positive conclusion in the forthcoming weeks.
- Beyond these field actions, other training workshops in Khemisset (operational communication and environmental education) and in Tangier (elaboration of projects) have been set up within the framework of the REFA activities ("RÈseau Evaluation-Formation-Action": assessment-training-action network). They are directed to associations' leaders, municipal elected members and technicians. Their activities also deal with South-South cooperation, materialised over this period by the organisation of an international workshop on "craft recycling: socio-economic and environmental potential". Moreover, mutual visits with associative actors in Egypt and Tunisia are planned.
- Finally, the importance of "capitalising" experiences and "diffusing" information is stressed in the bilingual (French/Arabic) fortnightly newsletter, La Letter du GCDU.
This projects aims at improving the living conditions in Binh Hung Hoa, one of the poorest parts of Ho Cho Minh City.
The PRECEUP project was launched in 1995. The targeted population is composed of the poorest families in BHH who live in an extremely polluted environment (because of black arroyo, incinerators, the dumping site, the cemetery). Infrastructures are insufficient and hygiene is very poor. Since the beginning of the second phase of the PRECEUP project (January 1997), priority was placed on improving the environment, which was particularly deteriorated in 3 communities of BHH. Communicational and educational activities in schools and within the communities have led to an increasing awareness of the acuteness of environmental problems and of the means to remediate them.
At the same time, in order to improve the inhabitants' income and create employment, settlement money from the first phase's credits have been At present, the PRECEUP programme in Vietnam is going through an important stage characterised by:
- the preparation of the end of the project and the withdrawal of the external support staff from BHH (this withdrawal however requires the end of the PRECEUP programme to be postponed by 3 or 4 months in order to be correctly achieved);
- the intensification of training activities and exchanges of experiences;- looking for new partnership and financing so as to carry on supporting local actors in implementing measures for the improvement of the community environment used to stimulate locally environmentally sound economic activities.
In parallel with field actions, this section has been implemented so as to identify, list, analyse and diffuse relevant experiences regarding the subjects highlighted in the Programme. Research has been conducted jointly with our partners in order to suggest alternative practices and give recommendations to those actors concerned with urban development.
The main issue in the programme is the integrated management of the urban environment. It covers the following sub-issues:
- community-based management of the urban environment;
- roles, conditions, interest and involvement of community groups and populations;
- articulation between activities of community groups and municipal policies, private activities , in particular popular economy
During the first eleven months, the activities conducted within these sub-sections have consisted in setting up a basis for research by means of: identifying the partners, defining the modalities of a collaboration with the latter, and drafting a reference terminology of research products (case studies, comprehensive studies, key themes).
Substantial endeavours have been made to collect case studies and comprehensive studies:
( 5 case studies on the projects presented earlier in this newsletter are currently being carried out)
*Malindi Green Towns Movement (Kenya). Currently being carried out.Transformation of Surat City (India).Available on this site.
*Women's role in the creation and management of sanitation in Bamako. Available from the Delegation, soon available on this site.
*Organisational process of the National Chamber of Contractors forwaste collection, picking and recycling in Costa Rica - CANARDES. Available from the Delegation, soon available on this site.
* Presentation of the ENDA Maghreb Project on the reinforcement of informal channels of solid waste picking and reuse in Sale (Morocco). Available on this site.
*Domestic waste management in Medina Fass, Thies (Senegal). Available on this site.
*From an integrated management of domestic waste to town management: socio-economic circuits of recycling in Santo-Domingo (Dominican Republic).Currently being carried out.
*Research on the integrated management of the urban environment in metropolis of Southeast Asia: the case of solid waste.Available from the Delegation, soon available on this site.
*Waste management in the cities of Dakar and Thies. Available from the Delegation, soon available on this site.
*The solid waste cycle in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). Currently being carried out.
The identification and final drafting of the relevant sheets was conducted by the Secretariat of the programme with the help of the projects' operators who produced recent information on their activities and proposed a first drafted version of their sheet.The following list includes identified experiences for which experience sheets have been or are being drafted. The most relevant ones are being translated.
1. Burkina-Faso Participation of community groups in solid waste management in Ouagadougou
2. Burkina-Faso Social and health development in periurban environments
3. Burkina-Faso Pilot project for the collection of domestic waste (CREPA)
4. Cameroon Rehabilitation of water supply points in Yaounde: integrated in the Programme on "drinking water and sanitation of periurban and small centres in Africa"
5. Cameroon Composting of domestic waste in Bafoussam
6. Ivory Coast Water, a source of life and development in 16 districts of the Ivory Coast
7. Ivory Coast Micro-project on water and sanitation by basic communities
8. Ivory Coast San Pedro: the divorce between a programmed city an the real city
9. Ivory Coast SODECI: water supplier in the Ivory Coast
10. Ivory Coast Development committees in city quarters
11. Guinea Conakry Domestic waste management in the Air quarter of Conakry
12. Haiti Reorganisation of the water service in the shanty towns of Port au Prince
13. Mali Sanitation and domestic waste collection programme in Mopti
14. Mali Local initiatives for urban development: battling against insalubrity and the proliferation of domestic waste
15. Mali UWEP: Pilot project n¡1. Development of waste disposal techniques by two local craftsmen, technical support from Waste-Gouda
16. Mali UWEP: Pilot project n¡4
17. Mali Participation of community groups in solid waste management in Mali
18. Mali UWEP: Pilot project n¡2 and 3.
19. Mali Mobilisation of COFESA women for an improvement in their living conditions and the habitat in Bamako.
20. Niger Local initiatives for urban development: battling against insalubrity and the proliferation of domestic waste in Niamey: SAPHTA
21. Senegal Pradeq
22. Senegal Management by community groups of drinking-water network (AEP) in secondary centres of the Senegal river valley
23. Senegal Participation of community groups in solid waste management in Senegal
24. Senegal Popular-water programme: a popular initiative in Senegal: drinking-water in a periurban setting in Dakar
25. Costa Rica Estrategia de atencion a los trabajadores que utilizan agroquimicos en la comunidad de Colas de Gallo (Municipio de Nicoya, Provincia de Guanacaste)
26. Ecuador Creacion de Microempresas para la Descentralizacion de Servicios Municipales (Pinchina, Quito)
27. Argentina Plan de Utilizacion Productiva de Residuos Solidos Domiciliaros (PUPRSD), alrededor de 65 municipios de las provincias de Santa Fe, Cordoban la Pampa, Entre Rio, Buenos Aires y Chubut
28. Argentina Programa de Mejoramiento Integral del Barrio San Jorge: reconstruyendo el capital social en un asentamiento pobre (Nuenos Aires)
29. Guatemala Programa de Servicios Urbanos Basicos - UNICEF. Ciudad de Guatemala, asentamiento humano precario: el Mezquital
30. Colombia Programa de la Cooperativa Integral de Produccion y Tabajo Asociado "RECUPERAR", region de Medellin
31. Venezuela Programa de Auto-recoleccion y Reciclaje de Desechos Solidos en Asentamientos no Regulados del Area Metropolitana de Caracas / Habitat Sano
32. Nicaragua Condiciones y Medio Ambiente de Trabajo de los trajadores que laboran en el matadero municipal de Esteli
33. Indonesia From informal waste collection to local industry: the case of Yogjakarta (Indonesia)
34. Indonesia An urban waste management system: the Industrial Estate Group, Banding Technological Institute (Indonesia)
35. Bangladesh Composting in Dhaka: a pilot experience on organic waste recycling
36. Vietnam Latrines for a large number in Ho Cho Minh City
37. Vietnam Sustainable development, metropolisation and pollutions of natural resources: the case of Ho Chi Minh City
38. Sri Lanka People and waste: what reorganisation is needed to improve solid waste collection in poor neighbourhoods? A community-based project for solid waste management in the Siddharthapura quarter (Colombo)
39. India Rag pickers and recycling in Calcutta
This section has been set up in order to formalise adequately the field experiences "capitalised" within the framework of the programme as well as research results that are worth being diffused.This addresses the needs for information on reliable alternatives for the protection of the urban environment. It is also necessary to highlight other realities of these cities so as to stimulate innovative approaches in the future. Showing the dynamism of popular know-how, of community-based initiatives, showing self-help assessment and management of urban environment problems is also a top priority in our research.
The "Donor Guide" on the financing of environmental and urban development projects for Southern NGOs, published in July 1997 by the ENDA Third World Programme (French version) and Both Ends (English version) has been a success with Northern and Southern NGOs.
This guide helps Southern NGOs to apply for bi- and multi-lateral financing from European agencies and to formulate environmental and urban development projects.
If you wish to receive this guide, please do not hesitate to place your order now (free of charge for Southern organisations, FF100 + postage fees for Northern organisations). The English version is available from Both Ends, Maire-JosÈ Vervest, Damrak 28-30, 1012 LJ Amsterdam, Netherlands; Tel. 31 20 623 08 23; Fax. 31 20 620 80 49; E-mail. mjv@bothends.org.
You might also want to refer to "Experiences, outils et methodes pour un developpement urbain partage" (Serie Pratiques Urbaines; Vol. 1. Fiches d'experiences; Vol. 2. Etudes de cas), still available in French (free of charge for Southern organisations; FF40 postage included for Northern organisations).
The PRECEUP Web Site has substantially developed since the beginning of this year.It is now divided into two :
- AN EXTENSIVE PRESENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME
This section includes a brochure on the programme, the reference terminology, a presentation of the operational section (with pictures), information / communication and research / capitalisation.
- THE VIRTUAL "DOCUMENTATION CENTER"
This section includes experiences sheets, case studies, regional studies, comprehensive studies on the topics covered by the programme, if possible in three languages.Some documents are too big to be available directly on the site. Therefore, on-line documentation includes only summaries (in three languages) but the integral versions can be downloaded in their original language.The "bibliographical database" of the programme is now available on our web site. It has been elaborated in collaboration with our provider Globenet. The web database (short version) consists in about a hundred bibliographical references that can be searched by key words, type of action, geographical area, author or title. After completion of the programme, about 300 references shall be available. A registration form is also available for the visitors who wish to share their viewpoints and experiences under the "People and Institutions Resources" section. Those who register shall be automatically included in our mailing list and will receive our newsletters and other information.
The experience sheets, case studies, regional studies and comprehensive studies currently available in French, English and Spanish cover Africa, Asia and Latin America.
AFRICA
- Initiatives locales de developpement urbain: lutte contre l'insalubrite et la proliferation des ordures menageres a Niamey, Niger : la SAPHTA
- Initiatives locales de developpement urbain: lutte contre l'insalubrite et la proliferation des ordures menageres a Bamako, Mali : La COFEPE
- Micro-projet d'eau et d'assainissement par les communautes de base : le cas de Guiberoua en Cote d'Ivoire, CREPA
- Mobilisation des femmes de la COFESFA pour une amelioration des conditions et du cadre de vie a Bamako, Mali
- Le compostage des ordures menageres dans la ville de Bafoussam (Cameroun)
- Appui a la filiere de recuperation et de recyclage des dechets solides sur la Wilaya de Rabat-Sale, Maroc (resume; possibilite de telecharger l'etude de cas en Francais)
Support to the solid waste recovery and recycling cycles on the Wilaya of Rabat-Sale, Morocco (summary)
Estudio de caso sobre el "Apoyo a la hilera de recuperacion et del reciclaje de los desechos solidos en la Wilaya de Rabat-Sale, Marruecos" (resumen)
- Etude de cas sur la Gestion des dechets menagers au Quartier Medina Fass, Thies, Senegal (resume, possibilite de telecharger l'etude de cas en Francais)
ASIA
- Campagne de proprete a Surat (Inde): Etude de cas sur les initiatives administratives (resume,. possibilite de telecharger l'etude de cas en anglais)
Cleanliness campaign in Surat: A case study on administrative initiatives
Campana de limpieza en Surat (India): Estudio de caso sobre las iniciativas administrativas (resumen )
LATIN AMERICA
- Programme d'amelioration integrale du quartier de San Jorge, Buenos Aires (Argentine)Programa de Mejoramiento Integral del Barrio San Jorge : reconstruyendo el capital social en un asentamiento pobre, San Jorge, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Plan de Utilizacion Productiva de Residuos Solidos Domiciliarios (PUPRSD), Argentina
- Strategie de suivi des travailleurs utilisant des engrais chimiques dans la communaute de Colas de Gallo, Costa Rica
Estrategia de atencion a los trabajadores que utilizan agroquimicos en la comunidad de Colas de Gallo, Costa Rica
- Condiciones y Medio Ambiente de Trabajo de los trabajadores que laboran en el Matadero Municipal de Esteli (Nicaragua)
- Creation de microentreprises pour la decentralisation des services municipaux, Quito, Equateur
Creacion de Microempresas para la Descentralizacion de Servicios Municipales, Pinchincha, Quito, Ecuador
- Programa de Servicios Urbanos Basicos - UNICEF, Guatemala. Ciudad de Guatemala, asentamiento humano precario: el Mezquital.
- Restructuration du Service de l'eau dans les bidonvilles de Port au Prince, Haïti
- Analyse comparative de trois etudes de cas sur les etablissements informels en Amerique latine (resume, possibilite de telecharger l'etude en espagnol)
Comparative analysis of three case studies on informal settlements in Latin America (summary)
Analisis comparativo de tres estudios de caso en asentamientos informales de America Latina (resumen y estudio de caso)
A workshop was organised jointly by the Habitat and Environment Committee (HEC), the Habitat International Coalition (HIC) and the PRECEUP programme of ENDA Third World. It took place in Bamako from 23 to 27 June 1998. The debated theme was: "From local initiatives to town planning: changing the scale of action for a concerted management of the urban environment".Various participants took part: mayors, NGOs, representatives of basic communities, of consumers' associations, of the CNUEH-Habitat, of the UNESCO, of the Municipal Development Programme (PDM), of the CREPA, of the International Secretariat for Water and French Cooperation, all coming from different backgrounds and geographical areas (Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, North America).
The goals of this workshop consisted in an in depth discussion of four complementary issues:
- What partnerships for a concerted management of the urban environment?
- What scale changes for a significant social production of basic goods and services in an urban environment?
- What tools for a concerted management of the urban environment: from local initiatives to town planning?
- Towards popular watch: integrating tools for a concerted management of the urban environment.
The relevance of these issues lies in the will to change the scale of action, to move from proximity actions to more significant ones so as to influence the global social mechanisms (Implementation mechanisms of Agenda 21 and Istanbul Habitat Programme 96).
Thus, a prerequisite for the management of the urban environment consists in taking into account the multiple dimensions of urban and social development. During this workshop, particular attention was granted to water, sanitation and waste issues.
After field visits which rooted the workshop in reality, 7 experiences of management of the urban environment were presented:
- the National Federation of waste pickers and recyclers in Colombia;
- the strategic town planning in the cities of Medellin and Bogota in Colombia;
- the GCDU (Urban waste community-based management network) in Morocco;
- the attempt of Malian GIEs to set up collective representation and negotiation structures with the institutions;
- the integrated management of solid waste in Southeast Asia metropolis;
- the transformation of management in the city of Suhart in India;
- the scale changes through standardisation in Senegal;as well as four regional comrehensive analysis (French-speaking Africa, English-speaking Africa, Asia, Latin America) based on case studies of drinking-water supplies and domestic waste management. These experiences led the inhabitants to organise themselves and formulate requests on a new scale, that of a neighbourhood, a sector, a district or a whole town, their request being based on their social legitimacy. This process, although long and conflictual, leads the path to a new form of citizenship.
The debates allowed a better understanding of partnerships betweenactors of urban development and of a change in the scale of action that might well be indicating a social and environmental change in Southern cities.
The following points were highlighted:
- The need to support the capitalisation of experiences, for it constitutes the basis of a change in the scale of action;
- The need to support the current decentralisation process as a relevant framework for a concerted change of scale. Indeed, a permanent dialogue must be sought between those who promote experiences and municipal authorities.
- An articulation must be operated between the current privatisation of basic services and community-based initiatives. The new providers of environmental services are not only micro-enterprises submitted to market rules; they represent decentralised management alternatives and should keep their socio-cultural specificities while correcting the legal rules that prevent them from existing.
- The change in the scale of action must be combined with an institutional transformation: all actors (mayors, NGOs, popular actorsÖ) must change their relationship with one another. Sustainable development depends on a social change and therefore, it requires the relationships between the various actors to evolve, the institutions to be adapted, more open working-methods, collaborative production of accessible information, exchanges and mutual recognition.
During this workshop, a new tool was proposed for the concerted management of the urban environment: a "watch". The proposition did sound interesting and a study of its possible implementation modalities was agreed upon. A working group shall conduct in depth investigation in this respect. However, it is already possible to assert that the watch system shall not constitute a new institution but rather create a framework for synergy between all actors in the city.
It is thus necessary to contemplate long term processes (rather than short term ones) within which technical, social, institutional and financial improvements can be carried out. Popular watch shall constitute such a process.
For more information on this workshop and its results, please contact the Secretariat of the HEC programme (rup@enda.sn) or the Secretariat of the PRECEUP
ENDA PRECEUP Secretariat
5 Rue des Immeubles Industriels F-75011 Paris France
Tel. 33 (0) 1 44 93 87 49
Fax. 33 (0) 1 44 93 87 50
E-mail. endaprec@globenet.org
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